Dearest Ivie Read online

  Dearest Ivie is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright (c) 2018 by Love Conquers All, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  BALLANTINE and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Ebook ISBN 9780525620921

  randomhousebooks.com

  v5.2

  ep

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Glossary of Terms and Proper Nouns

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  By J. R. Ward

  About the Author

  Excerpt from The Thief

  Glossary of Terms and Proper Nouns

  ahstrux nohtrum (n.) Private guard with license to kill who is granted his or her position by the King.

  ahvenge (v.) Act of mortal retribution, carried out typically by a male loved one.

  Black Dagger Brotherhood (pr. n.) Highly trained vampire warriors who protect their species against the Lessening Society. As a result of selective breeding within the race, Brothers possess immense physical and mental strength, as well as rapid healing capabilities. They are not siblings for the most part, and are inducted into the Brotherhood upon nomination by the Brothers. Aggressive, self-reliant, and secretive by nature, they are the subjects of legend and objects of reverence within the vampire world. They may be killed only by the most serious of wounds, e.g., a gunshot or stab to the heart, etc.

  blood slave (n.) Male or female vampire who has been subjugated to serve the blood needs of another. The practice of keeping blood slaves has been outlawed.

  the Chosen (pr. n.) Female vampires who had been bred to serve the Scribe Virgin. In the past, they were spiritually rather than temporally focused, but that changed with the ascendance of the final Primale, who freed them from the Sanctuary. With the Scribe Virgin removing herself from her role, they are completely autonomous and learning to live on earth. They do continue to meet the blood needs of unmated members of the Brotherhood, as well as Brothers who cannot feed from their shellans or injured fighters.

  chrih (n.) Symbol of honorable death in the Old Language.

  cohntehst (n.) Conflict between two males competing for the right to be a female's mate.

  Dhunhd (pr. n.) Hell.

  doggen (n.) Member of the servant class within the vampire world. Doggen have old, conservative traditions about service to their superiors, following a formal code of dress and behavior. They are able to go out during the day, but they age relatively quickly. Life expectancy is approximately five hundred years.

  ehros (n.) A Chosen trained in the matter of sexual arts.

  exhile dhoble (n.) The evil or cursed twin, the one born second.

  the Fade (pr. n.) Non-temporal realm where the dead reunite with their loved ones and pass eternity.

  First Family (pr. n.) The King and Queen of the vampires, and any children they may have.

  ghardian (n.) Custodian of an individual. There are varying degrees of ghardians, with the most powerful being that of a sehcluded female.

  glymera (n.) The social core of the aristocracy, roughly equivalent to Regency England's ton.

  hellren (n.) Male vampire who has been mated to a female. Males may take more than one female as mate.

  hyslop (n. or v.) Term referring to a lapse in judgment, typically resulting in the compromise of the mechanical operations of a vehicle or otherwise motorized conveyance of some kind. For example, leaving one's keys in one's car as it is parked outside the family home overnight, whereupon said vehicle is stolen.

  leahdyre (n.) A person of power and influence.

  leelan (adj. or n.) A term of endearment loosely translated as "dearest one."

  Lessening Society (pr. n.) Order of slayers convened by the Omega for the purpose of eradicating the vampire species.

  lesser (n.) De-souled human who targets vampires for extermination as a member of the Lessening Society. Lessers must be stabbed through the chest in order to be killed; otherwise they are ageless. They do not eat or drink and are impotent. Over time, their hair, skin, and irises lose pigmentation until they are blond, blushless, and pale eyed. They smell like baby powder. Inducted into the society by the Omega, they retain a ceramic jar thereafter into which their heart was placed after it was removed.

  lewlhen (n.) Gift.

  lheage (n.) A term of respect used by a sexual submissive to refer to their dominant.

  Lhenihan (pr. n.) A mythic beast renowned for its sexual prowess. In modern slang, refers to a male of preternatural size and sexual stamina.

  lys (n.) Torture tool used to remove the eyes.

  mahmen (n.) Mother. Used both as an identifier and a term of affection.

  mhis (n.) The masking of a given physical environment; the creation of a field of illusion.

  nalla (n., f.) or nallum (n., m.) Beloved.

  needing period (n.) Female vampire's time of fertility, generally lasting for two days and accompanied by intense sexual cravings. Occurs approximately five years after a female's transition and then once a decade thereafter. All males respond to some degree if they are around a female in her need. It can be a dangerous time, with conflicts and fights breaking out between competing males, particularly if the female is not mated.

  newling (n.) A virgin.

  the Omega (pr. n.) Malevolent, mystical figure who has targeted the vampires for extinction out of resentment directed toward the Scribe Virgin. Exists in a non-temporal realm and has extensive powers, though not the power of creation.

  phearsom (adj.) Term referring to the potency of a male's sexual organs. Literal translation something close to "worthy of entering a female."

  Princeps (pr. n.) Highest level of the vampire aristocracy, second only to members of the First Family or the Scribe Virgin's Chosen. Must be born to the title; it may not be conferred.

  pyrocant (n.) Refers to a critical weakness in an individual. The weakness can be internal, such as an addiction, or external, such as a lover.

  rahlman (n.) Savior.

  rythe (n.) Ritual manner of asserting honor granted by one who has offended another. If accepted, the offended chooses a weapon and strikes the offender, who presents him-or herself without defenses.

  the Scribe Virgin (pr. n.) Mystical force who previously was counselor to the King as well as the keeper of vampire archives and the dispenser of privileges. Existed in a non-temporal realm and had extensive powers, but has recently stepped down and given her station to another. Capable of a single act of creation, which she expended to bring the vampires into existence.

  sehclusion (n.) Status conferred by the King upon a female of the aristocracy as a result of a petition by the female's family. Places the female under the sole direction of her ghardian, typically the eldest male in her household. Her ghardian then has the legal right to determine all manner of her life, restricting at will
any and all interactions she has with the world.

  shellan (n.) Female vampire who has been mated to a male. Females generally do not take more than one mate due to the highly territorial nature of bonded males.

  symphath (n.) Subspecies within the vampire race characterized by the ability and desire to manipulate emotions in others (for the purposes of an energy exchange), among other traits. Historically, they have been discriminated against and, during certain eras, hunted by vampires. They are near extinction.

  the Tomb (pr. n.) Sacred vault of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Used as a ceremonial site as well as a storage facility for the jars of lessers. Ceremonies performed there include inductions, funerals, and disciplinary actions against Brothers. No one may enter except for members of the Brotherhood, the Scribe Virgin, or candidates for induction.

  trahyner (n.) Word used between males of mutual respect and affection. Translated loosely as "beloved friend."

  transition (n.) Critical moment in a vampire's life when he or she transforms into an adult. Thereafter, he or she must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive and is unable to withstand sunlight. Occurs generally in the mid-twenties. Some vampires do not survive their transitions, males in particular. Prior to their transitions, vampires are physically weak, sexually unaware and unresponsive, and unable to dematerialize.

  vampire (n.) Member of a species separate from that of Homo sapiens. Vampires must drink the blood of the opposite sex to survive. Human blood will keep them alive, though the strength does not last long. Following their transitions, which occur in their mid-twenties, they are unable to go out into sunlight and must feed from the vein regularly. Vampires cannot "convert" humans through a bite or transfer of blood, though they are in rare cases able to breed with the other species. Vampires can dematerialize at will, though they must be able to calm themselves and concentrate to do so and may not carry anything heavy with them. They are able to strip the memories of humans, provided such memories are short-term. Some vampires are able to read minds. Life expectancy is upward of a thousand years, or in some cases, even longer.

  wahlker (n.) An individual who has died and returned to the living from the Fade. They are accorded great respect and are revered for their travails.

  whard (n.) Equivalent of a godfather or godmother to an individual.

  Chapter One

  "You're wrong. He's totally looking at you."

  Ivie pushed her Grey Goose and tonic away. "Can we focus? For just a minute here."

  The human cigar bar she and her cousin were in was packed with non-vampires, and not for the first time, Ivie wondered why in the hell she had agreed to meet here. For one, she hated smoke, especially the kind that smelled like sweat socks--hello, stogies. Two, it wasn't that she didn't like humans...she just didn't care for them very much. And there were so many of their kind here, all competing for air space, their voices loud and grating.

  Like they were at a ballgame. Except, noooo, she wanted to point out, we're all indoors here, and unless she was seriously missing something, there was nothing to referee--

  "I'm so serious right now."

  Ivie let her head fall to the side so that her eyes ran into her cousin's hopeful face. Rubia, a.k.a. Rubes, was a red-haired romantic, the anti-Ivie, as it were. She was everything that was bright and happy, a hopping, skipping ball of optimism that was just...pink...even when she wasn't wearing the color.

  Which was rare.

  Why were the pair of them friends? It was the classic childhood hangover of two relations who had lived next door and had played together because there had been a dearth of other distractions. Now, as fully transitioned adults, they had shared too much history to go their separate ways.

  And, Ivie guessed, Rubes didn't ever let anybody go. There were bits and pieces of the female's heart everywhere in the world, and how she could stand that was a mystery.

  "I think he's one of us," Rubes whispered, her stare locked firmly on the other end of the bar.

  "As I was saying"--Ivie took back her V&T and grabbed a sip off the sharp, cold rim--"I waited for two hours in that drawing room. Two hours. I read through the four Town & Country's that were on the coffee table through twice, memorized all the oil paintings and marble busts, and briefly considered committing suicide by hanging myself from the chandelier. The only thing that saved me was the very real possibility they might charge my parents a cleaning fee to remove the body."

  "He's definitely one of us. He just smiled at the bartender without showing his front teeth."

  "So after I created a butt-divot-and-a half in the silk sofa, that female comes back in. I swear to you, she looked like a cross between a librarian and a fascist. She was wearing this gray suit that quite possibly could have been made out of a base metal and her hair was scraped back into a bun that was tight enough to be considered a solid. She says to me--"

  "Holy crap, did he just pay the bartender with a hundred-dollar bill?"

  "--'The master cannot see you the now. He is not feeling well.' " Ivie stirred the lime slice and her ice cubes with the red swizzle stick. "And I'm all, 'Sure, no problem. Whatever is good for you'--"

  "He's not accepting the change. He's tipping the bartender all that money--what a nice guy."

  "I mean, listen, I can understand that it's hard if you're old and you're sliding downhill--it's horrible to have to interview the nurse who's coming to help you in your end stage. It's like your disease is screaming in your face, I won! I get all that, and I honestly would have gone back there at a later time, but get this. The female walks me over to the door and does that head-to-toe thing people do. I knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth--"

  "Oh, see. Another smile with no front teeth. Yup. One of us."

  "She says, 'Aren't you a little young for this.' " Ivie put her palms up. "Young? Look, I know I'm not as old as you are, Ms. Punic Wars, but I am a fully trained nurse who's been working under Havers for a decade--and I've even done a human program. I have meaningful experience with end-of-life patients, and Havers himself sent me over here. You think just because of this face"--she motioned around her puss--"and the fact that I have long hair means I can't do my job? Give me a break--"

  "Ivie?"

  "--and no, I'm not interested in the position if you're going to call into question my skills on the basis of age alone." Ivie shrugged. "So I said I was probably not a good fit and that she might want to find someone else. She seemed very relieved--"

  "Ivie."

  "--which tells me that she had already decided she didn't want me the second I walked into that mansion--"

  "Ivie."

  Ivie wheeled around toward her cousin. "What, Rubes. What. Do you want to tell me about the guy not showing his canines again? Have you considered that he might be a human with orthodontia issues? And if he dropped a hundy, good for him. Let's petition the human government to give him a stamp. An obelisk. A reality TV show. Oh, wait, you're going to tell me you've psychically deduced his name--"

  "It's Silas."

  Ivie froze at the sound of the deep, low voice. Later, much later, she would remember most clearly not the moment she looked into his eyes, but rather the split second before she did. And that was because, when you were falling from a great distance, spinning and turning in mid-air, uncertain of your chances of surviving the landing, the thing that was even more vivid than when you hit was the last moment before consequence owned you.

  His eyes were so pale a green that they were almost white, nothing but a black border to prove he wasn't some kind of deity fallen to earth. And he was a vampire just like her, his scent heady and full of spice, not anything that came in a cologne bottle. Hair was black and on the long side, pushed back from his forehead in waves. Shoulders were broad and strong. Clothes were expensive, but not showy.

  Those lips were...

  "Her name is Ivie," Rubes spoke up. "And she doesn't have a boyfriend!"

  Ivie felt her eyes bulge even be
fore the embarrassment hit, but she recovered enough to look the guy fully in the face. "Just so you know, I pay my cousin to make me feel like a two-day-old truck-stop sandwich. It's a bizarre relationship, but it keeps her off the streets and my ego in check."

  There was a heartbeat of pause, as if that were the last thing in the world he expected her to say. No doubt he was used to beauty queens who blinked their fake eyelashes and fluffed their hair at every word he spoke, and assuming that was what he was into, he was going to find her--

  The male threw his head back and laughed.

  The rolling sound was so attractive, all kinds of people looked over, the human men and women captivated by him.

  Just as she was.

  When his eyes came back to level, he was smiling widely, flashing fangs that were probably only noticeable to members of the species, although she got the idea he didn't care one way or the other.

  "Fair enough," he murmured. "May I buy you a drink?"

  "I have one--"

  "Absolutely!" Rubes got off her stool and pulled her wool coat on. "And she lives alone, so you should make sure she gets home safe."

  Ivie rubbed her forehead and wondered if you could disown a relative you weren't financially responsible for. "Since when did you become a Tinder app?"

  "Bye!"

  Looking over her shoulder, Ivie watched Rubes bounce out the door, all that red hair making her think of Merida from that Disney movie.

  So here's a question, she thought. If you put her on Valium, would those follicles relax?

  "How about I just take her seat while you finish what you've got?"

  Ivie shook herself. "Ah...yeah, sure. But I'm not good at this."

  "You haven't spilled on yourself yet."

  "What?"

  He nodded at her vodka tonic. "If the 'this' you're talking about is drinking, in the short time I've known you, I've found you quite competent."

  "How is it you're still tall even though you're sitting down?"

  There was another pause. And then he laughed again. "Do you always say anything that's on your mind."

  "Pretty much. Although I managed to keep the Valium comment to myself out of respect for Rubes."